1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of sign mounts, sign supports and standoffs to mount items to a wall in spaced relationship.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Signs are mounted on walls using standoffs, which are different shaped metal parts that “standoff” the sign from the wall. These standoffs come in many shapes, sizes and materials. They all have a tapped hole on each end or a tapped hole extending through the standoff that accepts a screw with a machine screw thread.
Standoffs are mounted to the wall using a piece of hardware called a hangar bolt. Hanger bolts consists of a wood screw thread that goes into the wall and a machine screw thread that fastens the standoff. Sign designers and installers have problems with this type of a system, as the wood screw thread can tear up the wall, and the load that can be affixed to them is hard to determine.
A spacer may be fixed to the wall by means of a screw that extends into a wall anchor fixedly mounted in the wall. Commercially available wall anchors include a threaded hollow interior to receive the screw securing the spacer to the wall. The anchor has a head located slightly outward of the wall with the main body of the anchor being expandable against the interior of the wall securely mounting the anchor. Alternatively, the wall anchor may be threaded into the wall with the drywall tightly gripping the anchor.
In the event the spacer has a width or diameter equal to the width of the head of the wall anchor, then the load resulting from the weight of the sign or other item mounted to the spacer is directed entirely into the spacer and not the outside surface of the wall surrounding the anchor head. On the other hand, if the spacer has a width or diameter larger than the anchor head, then there is a tendency for the spacer to rock back and forth resulting from the gap existing between the spacer and the mounting wall that surrounds the anchor head. Disclosed herein is a standoff adaptor for use with a threaded hollow wall anchor that eliminates these disadvantages existing in the prior art standoffs.